South Korea ferry disaster: Hundreds still missing after ship sinks off coast

Rescuers are still hammering on the upturned hull of a capsized South Korean ferry hoping for a response from hundreds of people, mostly teenage schoolchildren, who are believed to be trapped after the vessel started sinking more than 24 hours ago.

Nine people have been confirmed dead and 290 are still missing.

The ferry sank about 20 kilometres off the south-west coast of South Korea yesterday with more than 460 passengers and crew on board. More than 170 have been rescued.

The South Korean Coast Guard says the vessel veered off its course and into an area of shallow reefs and strong underwater currents.

Most of the passengers were teenagers and their teachers on a trip from Danwon High School in Ansan, a suburb in Seoul.

Grieving parents have accused officials of being slow to react and for lack of information.

"I am really angry with the government," said Kwak Hyun-ok, whose daughter who was one of 340 children and teachers from one school on the vessel. "There is no meaning to life without my daughter."

The ferry was sailing from the western port of Incheon to Jeju island, which is known as "South Korea's Hawaii" and is one of the country's most popular tourist destinations.

The government said three cranes were being moved to the site of the accident and would arrive on Friday, although efforts were continuing to establish whether there were any survivors on the stricken vessel.

Media reports said submersibles were pumping oxygen into the hull, although the coastguard declined to comment.

He says the chances of finding survivors trapped inside the ship are rapidly fading.

"The water is cold and people have been in the water for a long time," he said. "I would say the chances of finding people really are minimal."

Authorities are also be seeking answers to many questions surrounding Wednesday's accident, notably what caused the Sewol vessel to list and then flip over entirely, leaving only a small section of its hull above water.

Kim Young-boong, an executive from the company that owns the ferry, apologised but gave little detail.

"I would like to say sorry to the passengers, which include a number of students and their parents, and promise that our company will do its best to minimise loss of life," he said. "We are sorry."

Distraught parents wait for news

Parents of missing children are facing an agonising wait for news as they gather in Jindo, the nearest town to where the ferry capsized.

"My tears have dried up," one mother said.

"I am holding on to hope. I hope the government does everything to bring these kids back to their mothers."

Distraught parents of the students had gathered at Danwon High School in the morning when news of the disaster broke.

TV footage showed a chaotic scene in the school's auditorium, with parents yelling at school officials and frantically trying to make phone calls to their children.

"I talked to my daughter. She said she had been rescued along with 10 other students," one mother told the YTN news channel.

"They said they had jumped into the water before getting rescued. One was injured in the leg and is being treated in hospital."